Page 2807 - Week 10 - Wednesday, 6 October 2021
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On the same day, the ACT Council of Social Service, or ACTCOSS as they are better known, released their annual cost of living report which tracks changes in the cost of living for low income households in the Australian Capital Territory over the previous 12 months. This report did not receive the attention it deserved due to the chaos and panic generated by the lockdown announcement. My motion in this place today is to shine a light on the ACTCOSS report and the shocking statistics it contains regarding people living in our community.
Whilst Canberra does continue to seemingly have the highest average indicators for income, education and employment, the report identified that more than 8,000 Canberra households are experiencing poverty now than before the pandemic. Over the last five years of this ACT Labor-Greens government, Canberrans have seen the prices of several essential goods and services increase significantly and at rates above the overall CPI for Canberra and nationally. These include: electricity, a 28 per cent increase; gas, a 31 per cent increase; health, an 18.6 per cent increase; medical and hospital services, a 28 per cent increase; education, an 18 per cent increase; housing, a 15.7 per cent increase—with the ANZ forecasting Canberra house prices are expected to grow at the highest rate of any Australian capital city this year, at a staggering 24 per cent—meat and seafood, a 13.4 per cent increase; and fruit and vegetables, an 11.6 per cent increase.
Behind these statistics are some even more distressing facts. We now have over 38,000 people categorised as living in poverty, including over 9,000 children, which equates to almost nine per cent of our total population. We have rough sleepers on a regular basis, some within metres of the Legislative Assembly. We have over 25,000 people in low income households who are experiencing food stress, around 43 per cent of low income rental households that are in rental stress and about 9,000 children living in low income households who routinely go without many essentials in schooling, food and social activities.
Behind these statistics, Mr Assistant Speaker, are real people, real Canberrans, who are forced to make tough decisions about how and when they heat their homes, how often they access medical and health services and on what days they have to skip meals so that they can afford to pay their energy bills. One of my constituents in Braddon wrote to me and said:
I am an aged pensioner. I have reduced my electricity plan as much as possible. I pay by direct debit and check that I have all appropriate concessions. I am careful with my use of electricity; mainly heating one area of my unit. I only heat my bedroom if I am ill. Currently I am on a frugal plan, being $16 per fortnight. Upon receiving the letter about the changes, I estimated my new payment could be as much as $68 per fortnight. I was shocked at the amount of likely increase, which will of course have to come out of my age pension.
Letters like these are enough to break anyone’s heart. Imagine your mother or your grandmother having to sit shivering on the couch under a blanket because her electricity prices have increased by almost 30 per cent. It is shameful. In response to the increase in energy prices, a constituent in Chisholm contacted me to say:
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